


A Very Merry Christmas

by spectacular_eh



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: A Christmas Carol, Christmas Eve, Family Dynamics, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 06:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spectacular_eh/pseuds/spectacular_eh
Summary: A Secret Santa ficlet for Steph aka words-to-fuel-the-imagination.tumblr.comVirgil settles down to read his favorite Christmas story, reflects on the past year, and enjoys some unexpected company.-You can probably tell this, but I'm not good at summaries or tagging fics.





	A Very Merry Christmas

“Take it easy guys, gals, and nonbinary pals; PEACE OUT!”

As Thomas’s video came to a close, Virgil rose out of his room and into the common area shared by the sides during their “break time” and sat cross-legged on his stoop, holding a book and dressed in a Spiderman onesie. He figured he could give Thomas a little break from his constant presence so the others could help him focus on the last-minute Christmas preparations. He had at least a couple hours, long enough to re-read his favorite Christmas story.

He wasn’t lying when he said _A Christmas Carol_ was his favorite. He enjoyed a Christmas story that had an actual conflict-resolution plot instead of “oh no, the Grinch stole a bunch of toys because he hates Christmas.” And while some people (*cough* Roman *cough) may consider him a Scrooge, he honestly enjoyed Christmas a lot. It was a time where he was able to directly contribute to Thomas’s happiness and excitement by thinking about how horrible the presents could be so he’s always pleasantly surprised no matter what it is, or getting his nerves amped up so he’s extra excited about everything going on.

Virgil settled comfortably on the couch and started reading, losing track of time for the first time in a long while. When he got to his favorite part, where the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Ebenezer that he would die alone and unloved if he continued on with his selfish lifestyle, he began thinking about his past Christmases and his current one. A year ago, he was worried that, when Thomas died at the ripe old age of 103(see, he could be unreasonably optimistic about some things too, Patton) he would be the only part of Thomas that would just fade away, unloved and unnecessary. Now, he knew better. The others said it themselves, he was one of their best friends. He still had his doubts about how much they wanted to deal with him on a daily basis but they made it absolutely clear that he was wanted.

He immersed himself in the novella once again, only to immediately be pulled back to reality by a surprised gasping squeak that he would recognize anywhere. He snapped his book shut and looked up at Patton, his cheerful companion looking like he was almost ready to explode with sheer giddiness.

“You have a onesie too?! I love it!”

Virgil tensed, glancing down at his attire. “Uh.. yeah, I don’t wear it a lot.”

“I had no idea you like Spiderman, Virgil, this is awesome!” Patton snapped into his cat onesie and bounced on the balls of his feet eagerly. “We can be pajama buddies!”

“I.. Yeah, I like him a lot. And this is the Miles Morales suit, so still lots of black. We can’t all have cute animal pajamas.” He stood up, starting to sink back to his room before Logan and Roman rose up into the room as well. “Oh great.”

Roman, a little confused by the sight of Virgil but still very in the Christmas spirit, smiled. “Are we having a Christmas slumber party to celebrate the joyous occasion?”

Patton gasped, “That’s a great idea!” He turned to Logan for his input.

“Considering, we don’t technically slumber, I would not consider this a “slumber” party.” Logan responded before spotting the book in Virgil’s hands. “But perhaps a late-night storytelling?” He offered as a suitable solution.

“A pajama party, and Virgil can read his favorite story to us!” Patton added enthusiastically, directing his attention to Virgil. “What do you say, buddy?”

Virgil shrugged and sat back down on the couch. “I guess.. But I’m not doing voices.”

“No worries, I can provide you with voices as needed. But first, a wardrobe change.” Roman snapped himself into an flashy but comfortable Lion onesie.

Logan nodded and switched into his unicorn onesie.

Patton squealed excitedly. “This is the best night!” He sat down beside Virgil, giving him his personal space after a brief hug.

Roman sat on Patton’s other side, conjuring his own copy of the novella so he could read along with Virgil. “Let’s begin!”

Logan sat down on Virgil’s other side, “I don’t need my own copy, I have all of Dickens’s works memorized.”

“Showoff.” Roman muttered, before being admonished by a look from Patton. “Sorry, force of habit.”

Virgil let everyone get settled before opening the book up to the first page and beginning to read the story to his counterparts. He slowly relaxed, letting Roman take care of the dialogue as he acted as a narrator. Logan occasionally interjected with little factoids about the history behind Charles Dickens’s inspiration for the story and Patton added nonverbal commentary that could only be described as “this novella reading was filmed in front of a live one-person studio audience.” It was… actually pretty awesome, if Virgil was honest with himself. He got to enjoy his favorite story twice in one night, surrounded by people who cared about him while they sat on the couch in the pajamas.

After they had finished the story and they got ready to go back to their respective rooms, Virgil decided to speak up. “This was.. nice. Really nice. Thank you, guys.”

“No need to thank us, kiddo, we wanted to be here.” Patton smiled.

“As if I would pass up an opportunity to polish my voice-acting skills.” Roman scoffed, but offered a kind smirk to Virgil as he sank back to his own room with a flourish and a wave.

“Yes, it was… quite enjoyable to be able to provide trivia you all were actually interested in. This experience was pleasant. Good night Virgil, Patton.” Logan nodded to each of them in turn before sinking away as well.

Virgil grabbed his book and looked at Patton. “This was really nice, Patton. Thanks for suggesting it.” He tried not to hesitate as he spoke, knowing that it made him sound insincere when he had to struggle to get a compliment.

“Well, thank _you_ for agreeing to it, kiddo. I know group activities can be pretty intimidating, and I just love getting to spend time with all of you.” Patton smiled warmly. “How about some hot cocoa before bed?” He asked and conjured up two mugs of “just the right temperature” hot cocoa with a mountain of whipped cream on top of each.

At that, Virgil cracked a small but sincere smile. “Thanks. Merry Christmas, Dad.” He said before immediately regretting his choice of nickname. “That stays between us, yeah?”

Patton looked like he was either going to explode or cry. “Of course, kiddo. Merry Christmas.” He sank out of the room with a whipped-cream-moustached smile on his face.

Virgil sighed and sipped his hot cocoa as a thought ran through his brain, ‘So this is what it’s like to be a family.’ He smiled to himself and took the mug back to his room with him. This was a very merry Christmas indeed. And, for once, he couldn’t find anything wrong with the situation.

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> This story is unbetaed. Hope you enjoyed it, Steph. Merry Christmas!


End file.
